Siege of Vienna 1683 Jan Sobieski. Battle of Vienna (1683)

10.10.2021 -

For several years, the Ottoman Empire carefully prepared for this war. Roads and bridges were repaired leading to the Austrian border and to the supply bases of the Turkish troops, to which weapons, military equipment and artillery were brought. After all, it was necessary to conquer the capital of the Habsburgs, a strategically important city that controlled the Danube, connecting the Black Sea with Western Europe.

Oddly enough, the provocateurs of a new war were the Austrians themselves, who invaded the central part of Hungary, which since 1505 was part of the borders of the Ottoman Empire. It should be noted that the Magyar peasantry reacted to the arrival of the Turks as a liberation from the dominance of local feudal lords, who imposed unbearable requisitions on them, moreover, unlike the bloody feuds between Catholics and Protestants in Europe at that time, the Turks did not prohibit any of the religions, although the transition to Islam was strongly encouraged. Moreover, many simple Magyars who converted to Islam managed to climb the career ladder of the military estates of the Ottoman Empire. True, the inhabitants of the northern Hungarian lands offered resistance to the Turks, creating detachments of haiduks. It was on the haiduks that the Austrian government was counting, which was striving to annex the Hungarian lands to its empire. But the main population did not accept the Austrians. Unrest began in the country against the anti-Protestant policy of the Emperor of Austria Leopold I of Habsburg, an ardent supporter of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. As a result, discontent resulted in an open uprising against Austria, and in 1681 the Protestants and other opponents of the Habsburgs, led by the Magyar Count Imre Tekeli, allied with the Turks.

In January 1682, the mobilization of Turkish troops began, and on August 6 of the same year, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Austria. But military operations were conducted rather sluggishly, and after three months the parties curtailed the campaign for 15 months, during which they carefully prepared for war, attracting new allies. The Austrians, fearing the Ottomans, made alliances with other states of Central Europe whenever possible. Leopold I made an alliance with Poland, which he promised to help if the Turks besieged Krakow, and the Poles, in turn, pledged to help Austria if the Ottomans besieged Vienna. On the side of Mehmed IV came the Crimean Khanate and Imre Tekeli, who was declared the Sultan by the King of Hungary and Prince of Transylvania.

And only on March 31, 1683, the Habsburg Imperial Court received a note declaring war. She was sent by Kara Mustafa on behalf of Sultan Mehmed IV. The next day, the Turkish army set out from Edirne on a campaign. In early May, Turkish troops approached Belgrade, and then moved to Vienna. At the same time, 40,000-strong Crimean Tatar cavalry led by Murad Giray set out from the Crimean Khanate to the capital of the Austrian Empire and on July 7 set up camp 40 km east of the Austrian capital.

The Crowns panicked in earnest. The first to abandon the capital to the mercy of fate was Emperor Leopold I himself, followed by all the courtiers and Viennese aristocrats, then rich people left the city. The total number of refugees was 80,000. Only the garrison remained to defend the capital. And on July 14, the main forces of the Turks arrived near Vienna, and on the same day Kara Mustafa sent an ultimatum to the city about the surrender of the city. But Count von Staremberg, commander of the remaining 11,000 soldiers and 5,000 militia and 370 guns, flatly refused to capitulate.

Although the allied forces had excellent artillery of 300 guns, the fortifications of Vienna were very strong, built according to the latest fortification science of the time. Therefore, the Turks resorted to mining the massive city walls.

The allies had two options for taking the city: either rush to attack with all their might (which could well lead to victory, because there were almost 20 times more of them than the defenders of the city), or besiege the city. Murad Giray strongly recommended the first option, but Kara Mustafa gave preference to the second option. He reasoned that an assault on a well-fortified city would cost him enormous casualties, and that a siege was the perfect way to take a city with minimal casualties.

The Turks cut off all the ways of supplying the besieged city with food. The garrison and the inhabitants of Vienna were in a desperate situation. Exhaustion and extreme fatigue became such acute problems that Count von Staremberg ordered the execution of anyone who fell asleep at his post. By the end of August, the forces of the besieged were almost completely exhausted. A minimum of effort and the city would have been taken, but the vizier was waiting for something, remaining deaf to the advice of the Crimean Khan, to start the assault. As the Ottoman historian Funduklulu notes, Murad Giray disagreed with the opinion of the supreme vizier Kara Mustafa and was ready to lead his askers to capture Vienna, but the vizier did not allow him to do this, fearing that the laurels of victory would go to the Crimean Khan, and not to him. But he was in no hurry to take any action. According to the sources of those years, the vizier near Vienna settled down quite well. In his huge tent, there were rooms for meetings and smoking pipes, in the middle of which fountains, bedrooms, and a bath flowed. He naively assumed that Vienna was the last barrier on the way to Central Europe, and very soon all the laurels of victory would go to him.

But something happened that the Crimean Khan feared.

The slowness of the vizier led to the fact that the main forces of Christians approached the city. The first failure occurred 5 km northeast of Vienna at Bisamberg, when Count Charles V of Lorraine defeated Imre Tekeli. And on September 6, 30 km northwest of Vienna, the Polish army joined up with the rest of the troops of the Holy League. The situation was not saved by the fact that King Louis XIV, the opponent of the Habsburgs, took advantage of the situation and attacked southern Germany.

In early September, 5,000 experienced Turkish sappers blew up one after another significant sections of the city walls, the Burg bastion, the Löbel bastion and the Burg ravelin. As a result, gaps 12 meters wide were formed. The Austrians, on the other hand, tried to dig their tunnels to interfere with the Turkish sappers. But on September 8, the Turks nevertheless occupied the Burg ravelin and the Lower Wall. And then the besieged prepared to fight in the city itself.

Unlike the Ottomans, the allied Christian forces acted quickly. Kara Mustafa, who had at his disposal so much time to organize a successful confrontation with the forces of the allies, to raise the morale of his soldiers, failed to properly take advantage of this opportunity. He entrusted the protection of the rear to the Crimean Khan and his cavalry of 30-40,000 horsemen.

Murad Giray feared such an outcome. He did his best, but time was wasted. In addition, the vizier behaved extremely tactlessly, ignoring the advice and actions of the khan, in a fit of anger, humiliated the khan's dignity. And something happened that Kara Mustafa did not expect. Khan refused to attack the Polish troops on their way through the mountains, although his light and mobile cavalry could have prevailed over the heavily armed, hulking Polish horsemen of Jan Sobieski.

Because of all these disagreements, the Polish army managed to approach Vienna. The eight-week siege of the city was in vain. Realizing his mistake, the vizier made an attempt to reconcile with the khan and on September 12, at 4 o'clock in the morning, he ordered the allied troops to start the battle in order to prevent the enemy from properly building their forces.

Kara Mustafa wanted to capture Vienna before the arrival of Jan Sobieski, but it was too late, the Poles approached earlier than the vizier expected. Turkish sappers dug a tunnel for a full-scale undermining of the walls, and while they were filling it up to increase the power of the explosion, the Austrians managed to dig an oncoming tunnel and neutralize the mine in time. And at this time, a fierce battle was going on above. The Polish cavalry dealt a powerful blow to the right flank of the Turks, who made their main bet not on the defeat of the allied armies, but on the urgent capture of the city. This is what ruined them.

After 12 hours of battle, the Ottoman troops were not only physically exhausted, but also discouraged after failing to undermine the walls and break into the city. And the attack of the Polish cavalry forced them to retreat south and east. Less than three hours after the charge of their cavalry, the Poles won a complete victory and saved Vienna.

In order not to appear in the eyes of the Sultan as the culprit of failures near Vienna, Kara Mustafa shifted all the blame to the Crimean Khan and in October 1683 Murad was removed.

Gulnara Abdulaeva

Outcome tactical victory for the Holy Roman Empire Opponents

Bohemian, German and Spanish mercenaries

Moldavian Principality Moldavian Principality

Commanders

Wilhelm von Roggendorf
Niklas, Count of Salm

Side forces Losses Audio, photo, video at Wikimedia Commons

Siege of Vienna in 1529- the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire to capture the capital of the Austrian archduchy of Vienna. The failure of the siege marked the end of the Ottoman Empire's rapid expansion into Central Europe; nevertheless, fierce clashes continued for another 150 years, reaching their climax in 1683, when the Battle of Vienna took place.

background

The experience of these two campaigns showed that the Turks could not capture the capital of Austria. The Ottoman army had to return to Istanbul for the winter so that the officers could recruit new soldiers from their estates during the winter.

The retreat of the troops of Suleiman I did not mean their complete defeat. The Ottoman Empire maintained control over southern Hungary. In addition, the Turks deliberately massively devastated the Austrian part of Hungary and large areas of Austria itself, Slovenia and Croatia, in order to weaken the resources of these lands and to make it more difficult for Ferdinand I to repel new attacks. The Turks managed to create a buffer puppet Hungarian state, which was headed by Janos Zapolyai.

Ferdinand I ordered a monument erected on the grave of Niklas, Count of Salm - the latter was wounded during the last Turkish assault and died on May 30, 1530.

The Turkish invasion cost Europe dearly. Tens of thousands of soldiers and many civilians died; thousands of people were taken away and sold into slavery by the Turks. However, the Renaissance was rapidly advancing, the power of European countries was growing, and the Turks could no longer move deep into Central Europe.

Nevertheless, the Habsburgs had to sign a peace treaty with Ottoman Turkey in 1547, according to which Charles V was "allowed" to rule the Holy Roman Empire "with the permission" of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Also, the Habsburgs

Wallachia Commanders Side forces Losses

Great Turkish War and Russian-Turkish war 1686-1700
Vein- Shturovo - Neugeysel - Mokhach - Crimea - Patachin - Nissa - Slankamen - Azov - Podgaitsy - Zenta

Vienna battle took place on September 11, 1683, after a two-month siege of Vienna, the capital of Austria, by the troops of the Ottoman Empire. The victory of the Christians in this battle put an end to the Ottoman Empire's wars of conquest on European soil forever, and Austria became the most powerful power in Central Europe for decades.

The large-scale battle was won by the Polish-Austrian-German troops under the command of Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. The troops of the Ottoman Empire were commanded by Kara Mustafa, Grand Vizier of Mehmed IV.

The Battle of Vienna was a turning point in the three-century war of the states of Central Europe against the Ottoman Empire. Over the next 16 years, Austrian troops launched a large-scale offensive and recaptured significant territories from the Turks - southern Hungary and Transylvania.

Prerequisites for the battle

The Ottoman Empire has always sought to capture Vienna. A strategically important major city, Vienna controlled the Danube, which connected the Black Sea with Western Europe, as well as trade routes from the Eastern Mediterranean to Germany. Before starting the second siege of the Austrian capital (the first siege was in 1529), the Ottoman Empire carefully prepared for war for several years. The Turks repaired roads and bridges leading to Austria and to the supply bases of their troops, to which they brought weapons, military equipment and artillery from all over the country.

In addition, the Ottoman Empire provided military support to the Hungarians and non-Catholic religious minorities living in the part of Hungary occupied by the Austrians. Dissatisfaction with the anti-Protestant policies of Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg of Austria, an ardent supporter of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, grew over the years in this country. As a result, this discontent resulted in an open uprising against Austria, and in 1681 the Protestants and other opponents of the Habsburgs allied themselves with the Turks. The Turks, on the other hand, recognized the leader of the rebellious Hungarians, Imre Tököly, as the king of Upper Hungary (present-day eastern Slovakia and northeastern Hungary), which he had previously conquered from the Habsburgs. They even promised the Hungarians to create a "Kingdom of Vienna" especially for them, if they would help them capture the city.

In 1681-1682, clashes between the forces of Imre Thököly and the Austrian government troops sharply increased. The latter invaded the central part of Hungary, which served as a pretext for war. Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha managed to convince Sultan Mehmed IV to allow an attack on Austria. The Sultan ordered the vizier to enter the northeastern part of Hungary and besiege two castles - Gyor and Komárom. In January 1682, the mobilization of Turkish troops began, and on August 6 of the same year, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Austria.

In those days, supply capabilities made any large-scale offensive extremely risky. In this case, after only three months of hostilities, the Turkish army would have to winter far from their homeland, in enemy territory. Therefore, during the 15 months that passed from the beginning of the mobilization of the Turks to their offensive, the Austrians intensively prepared for war, entered into alliances with other states of Central Europe, which played a decisive role in the defeat of the Turks. It was during this winter that Leopold I made an alliance with Poland. He pledged to help the Poles if the Turks laid siege to Krakow, and the Poles in turn pledged to help Austria if the Turks laid siege to Vienna.

On March 31, 1683, a note declaring war arrived at the Habsburg Imperial Court. She was sent by Kara Mustafa on behalf of Mehmed IV. The next day, the Turkish army set off from the city of Edirne on an aggressive campaign. In early May, Turkish troops arrived in Belgrade, and then went to Vienna. On July 7, 40,000 Tatars camped 40 kilometers east of the Austrian capital. There were half as many Austrians in that area. After the first skirmishes, Leopold I retreated to Linz with 80,000 refugees.

As a sign of support, the King of Poland arrived in Vienna in the summer of 1683, thus demonstrating his readiness to fulfill his obligations. For this, he even left his country undefended. To protect Poland from foreign invasion during his absence, he threatened Imre Thököly to ravage his lands to the ground if he encroached on Polish soil.

Siege of Vienna

The main Turkish forces arrived near Vienna on July 14. On the same day, Kara Mustafa sent an ultimatum to the city to surrender the city.

A total of 84,450 people (of which 3,000 guarded the drummers and did not participate in the battle) and 152 guns.

Just before the battle

Allied Christian forces had to act quickly. It was necessary to save the city from the Turks, otherwise the allies themselves would have to besiege captured Vienna. Despite the multinationality and heterogeneity of the allied forces, the allies established a clear command of the troops in just six days. The core of the troops was the Polish heavy cavalry under the command of the King of Poland. The fighting spirit of the soldiers was strong, for they went into battle not in the name of the interests of their kings, but in the name of the Christian faith. In addition, unlike the Crusades, the war was fought in the very heart of Europe.

Kara Mustafa, having at his disposal enough time to organize a successful confrontation with the forces of the allies, raising the morale of his soldiers, failed to properly use this opportunity. He entrusted the protection of the rear to the Crimean Khan and his cavalry of 30,000 - 40,000 horsemen.

Khan, on the other hand, felt humiliated by the insulting treatment from the Turkish commander in chief. Therefore, he refused to attack the Polish troops on their way through the mountains. And not only the Tatars ignored the orders of Kara Mustafa.

In addition to the Tatars, the Turks could not rely on the Moldavians and Vlachs, who had good reasons not to like the Ottoman Empire. The Turks not only imposed a heavy tribute on Moldavia and Wallachia, but also constantly interfered in their affairs, removing local rulers and putting their puppets in their place. When the princes of Moldavia and Wallachia found out about the conquest plans of the Turkish Sultan, they tried to warn the Habsburgs about this. They also tried to avoid participating in the war, but the Turks forced them. There are many legends about how Moldavian and Wallachian gunners loaded their cannons with straw cannonballs and fired them at the besieged Vienna.

Because of all these disagreements, the allied army managed to approach Vienna. The Duke of Lorraine, Charles V, gathered an army in the German territories, which received reinforcement due to the timely arrival of Sobieski's army. The siege of Vienna was in its eighth week when the army arrived on the north bank of the Danube. The troops of the Holy League arrived at Kahlenberg (Bald Mountain), which dominated the city, and signaled their arrival to the besieged with flares. At the military council, the allies came to the decision to cross the Danube 30 km upstream and advance on the city through the Vienna forests. In the early morning of September 12, just before the battle, Mass was celebrated for the Polish king and his knights.

Battle

The battle began before all the Christian forces were deployed. At 4 o'clock in the morning, the Turks attacked to prevent the Allies from properly building up their forces. Charles of Lorraine and Austrian troops counterattacked from the left flank, while the Germans attacked the center of the Turks.

Then Kara Mustafa, in turn, counterattacked, and left some of the elite Janissary units to storm the city. He wanted to capture Vienna before Sobieski arrived, but it was too late. Turkish sappers dug a tunnel for a full-scale undermining of the walls, but while they were feverishly filling it up to increase the power of the explosion, the Austrians managed to dig an oncoming tunnel and neutralize the mine in time.

While the Turkish and Austrian sappers competed in speed, a fierce battle was going on above. The Polish cavalry dealt a powerful blow to the right flank of the Turks. The latter made the main bet not on the defeat of the allied armies, but on the urgent capture of the city. This is what ruined them.

After 12 hours of battle, the Poles continued to hold firmly on the right flank of the Turks. The Christian cavalry stood all day on the hills and watched the battle, in which so far mainly foot soldiers participated. At about 5 p.m., the cavalry, divided into four parts, went on the attack. One of these units consisted of Austro-German horsemen, and the remaining three - from Poles and citizens of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. 20,000 cavalrymen (one of the largest cavalry attacks in history) under the personal command of Jan Sobieski descended from the hills and broke through the ranks of the Turks, already very tired after a day of fighting on two fronts. The Christian horsemen struck directly at the Turkish camp, while the Vienna garrison ran out of the city and joined in the massacre of the Turks.

The Ottoman troops were not only physically exhausted, but also discouraged after their failed attempt to undermine the walls and break into the city. And the cavalry attack forced them to retreat south and east. Less than three hours after the charge of their cavalry, the Christians won a complete victory and saved Vienna.

After the battle, Jan Sobieski paraphrased Julius Caesar's famous dictum by saying "Venimus, Vidimus, Deus vicit" - "We came, we saw, God conquered".

Aftermath of the battle

The Turks lost at least 15 thousand people killed and wounded; over 5 thousand Muslims were taken prisoner. The Allies captured all the Ottoman cannons. At the same time, the losses of the allies amounted to 4.5 thousand people. Although the Turks retreated in a terrible hurry, they still managed to kill all the Austrian prisoners, with the exception of a few nobles left alive with the expectation of getting a ransom for them.

The booty that fell into the hands of the Christians was enormous. A few days later, in a letter to his wife, Jan Sobieski wrote:

“We captured unheard-of riches… tents, sheep, cattle and a considerable number of camels… This is a victory that has never been equaled, the enemy has been completely destroyed and everything has been lost. They can only run for their lives… Commander Shtaremberg hugged and kissed me and called me his savior.”

This stormy expression of gratitude did not prevent Staremberg from ordering the restoration of the badly damaged fortifications of Vienna to begin immediately - in case of a Turkish counterattack. However, this turned out to be redundant. The victory near Vienna marked the beginning of the reconquest of Hungary and (temporarily) some Balkan countries.

In 1699, Austria signed the Peace of Karlowitz with the Ottoman Empire. Long before that, the Turks dealt with Kara Mustafa, who suffered a crushing defeat: on December 25, 1683, Kara Mustafa Pasha, on the orders of the commander of the Janissaries, was executed in Belgrade (strangled with a silk cord, for each end of which several people pulled).

Historical meaning

Although at that time no one knew this yet, the battle of Vienna predetermined the course of the entire war. The Turks fought unsuccessfully for the next 16 years, losing Hungary and Transylvania, until they finally admitted defeat. The end of the war was brought by the Peace of Karlowitz.

The policy of Louis XIV predetermined the course of history for centuries to come: the German-speaking countries were forced to wage wars simultaneously on both the Western and Eastern fronts. While the German troops fought as part of the Holy League, Louis took advantage of this by conquering Luxembourg, Alsace and Strasbourg, devastated vast territories in southern Germany. And Austria could not give the Germans any support in their war with France while the war with the Turks was going on.

In honor of Jan Sobieski, the Austrians built in 1906 a church in honor of St. Joseph on the top of the Kahlenberg hill, north of Vienna. The railway line Vienna - Warsaw is also named after Sobieski. The constellation Shield of Sobieski was also named after him.

The Polish-Austrian friendship did not last long after this victory, as Charles V of Lorraine began to belittle the role of Jan III Sobieski and the Polish army in the battle. Neither Sobieski himself, nor the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gained anything significant from saving Austria. On the contrary, the battle near Vienna marked the birth of the future Austrian Empire (-) and the fall of the Commonwealth. In and 1795, the Habsburgs took part in the first and third partitions of the Commonwealth, as a result of which this state disappeared from the political map of Europe. The statement of Nicholas I is significant: “The most stupid of the Polish kings was Jan Sobieski, and the most stupid of the Russian emperors was me. Sobieski - because he saved Austria in 1683, and I - because I saved her in 1848. (The Crimean War was lost by Russia primarily because of the treachery of Austria: Russia had to keep half of its army on the Austrian border in order to avoid a "stab in the back").

religious significance

In memory of the victory over the Muslims, since Sobieski entrusted his kingdom to the intercession of the Virgin Mary of Czestochowa, Pope Innocent XI decided to celebrate the feast of the Holy Name of Mary not only in Spain and the Kingdom of Naples, but throughout the Church. In the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church, this is September 12th.

From the metal of captured guns won in the battle, in 1711, the Pummerin bell was cast for St. Stephen's Cathedral.

In culture

According to legend, it was after the victory in the Battle of Vienna that coffee began to be drunk in the city and coffee houses appeared.

In music

In literature

Monaldi R., Sorti F. Imprimatur: To press. - (Series: Historical detective). - M .: AST; AST Moscow; Transitbook, 2006. - ISBN 5-17-033234-3; 5-9713-1419-X; 5-9578-2806-8.
Malik W.. - M .: Children's literature, 1985.
Novichev A. D. History of Turkey. T. 1. - L.: Publishing House of Leningrad State University, 1963.
Podhorodetsky L. Vienna, 1683. - Trans. from Polish. - M .: AST, 2002. - ISBN 5-17-014474-1.
Emiddio Dortelli D'Ascoli. Description of the Black Sea and Tataria. / Per. N. Pimenova. Foreword A. L. Berthier-Delagarde. - Notes of the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities. T. 24. - Odessa: "Economic" type. and lit., 1902.
Chukhlib T.. - Kyiv: Clio, 2013. - ISBN 978-617-7023-03-5.

In cinema

« September 11, 1683"- a feature film, dir. Renzo Martinelli(Italy, Poland, 2012).

An excerpt characterizing the Battle of Vienna (1683)

“Ask them here,” said Prince Andrei, pointing to the officers.
Pierre, with a condescendingly inquiring smile, with which everyone involuntarily turned to Timokhin, looked at him.
“They saw the light, your excellency, how the brightest acted,” said Timokhin, timidly and constantly looking back at his regimental commander.
- Why is it so? Pierre asked.
- Yes, at least about firewood or fodder, I will report to you. After all, we retreated from Sventsyan, don’t you dare touch the twigs, or the senets there, or something. After all, we're leaving, he gets it, isn't it, Your Excellency? - he turned to his prince, - but don't you dare. In our regiment, two officers were put on trial for such cases. Well, as the brightest did, it just became so about this. The world has been seen...
So why did he forbid it?
Timokhin looked around in embarrassment, not understanding how and what to answer such a question. Pierre turned to Prince Andrei with the same question.
“And in order not to ruin the land that we left to the enemy,” Prince Andrei said angrily and mockingly. – It is very thorough; it is impossible to allow to plunder the region and accustom the troops to looting. Well, in Smolensk, he also correctly judged that the French could get around us and that they had more forces. But he could not understand this, - Prince Andrei suddenly cried out in a thin voice, as if escaping, - but he could not understand that for the first time we fought there for the Russian land, that there was such a spirit in the troops that I had never seen, that we fought off the French for two days in a row, and that this success multiplied our strength tenfold. He ordered a retreat, and all the efforts and losses were in vain. He did not think about betrayal, he tried to do everything as best as possible, he thought everything over; but that doesn't make him any good. He is no good now precisely because he thinks everything over very thoroughly and carefully, as every German should. How can I tell you ... Well, your father has a German footman, and he is an excellent footman and will satisfy all his needs better than you, and let him serve; but if your father is ill at death, you will drive away the footman and with your unaccustomed, clumsy hands you will begin to follow your father and calm him better than a skilled, but a stranger. That's what they did with Barclay. While Russia was healthy, a stranger could serve her, and there was a wonderful minister, but as soon as she was in danger; you need your own person. And in your club they invented that he was a traitor! By being slandered as a traitor, they will only do what later, ashamed of their false reprimand, they will suddenly make a hero or a genius out of traitors, which will be even more unfair. He is an honest and very accurate German...
“However, they say he is a skilled commander,” said Pierre.
“I don’t understand what a skilled commander means,” Prince Andrei said with a sneer.
“A skillful commander,” said Pierre, “well, one who foresaw all accidents ... well, guessed the thoughts of the enemy.
“Yes, it’s impossible,” said Prince Andrei, as if about a long-decided matter.
Pierre looked at him in surprise.
“However,” he said, “they say war is like a game of chess.
“Yes,” said Prince Andrei, “with the only slight difference that in chess you can think as much as you like about each step, that you are there outside the conditions of time, and with the difference that a knight is always stronger than a pawn and two pawns are always stronger.” one, and in war one battalion is sometimes stronger than a division, and sometimes weaker than a company. The relative strength of the troops cannot be known to anyone. Believe me,” he said, “that if anything depended on the orders of the headquarters, then I would be there and make orders, but instead I have the honor to serve here in the regiment with these gentlemen, and I think that we really tomorrow will depend, and not on them ... Success has never depended and will not depend either on position, or on weapons, or even on numbers; and least of all from the position.
- And from what?
“From the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed to Timokhin, “in every soldier.
Prince Andrei glanced at Timokhin, who looked at his commander in fright and bewilderment. In contrast to his former restrained silence, Prince Andrei now seemed agitated. He apparently could not refrain from expressing those thoughts that suddenly came to him.
The battle will be won by the one who is determined to win it. Why did we lose the battle near Austerlitz? Our loss was almost equal to that of the French, but we told ourselves very early that we had lost the battle—and we did. And we said this because we had no reason to fight there: we wanted to leave the battlefield as soon as possible. “We lost - well, run like that!” - we ran. If we had not said this before evening, God knows what would have happened. We won't say that tomorrow. You say: our position, the left flank is weak, the right flank is extended,” he continued, “all this is nonsense, there is nothing of it. And what do we have tomorrow? One hundred million of the most varied accidents that will be solved instantly by the fact that they or ours ran or run, that they kill one, kill another; and what is being done now is all fun. The fact is that those with whom you traveled around the position not only do not contribute to the general course of affairs, but interfere with it. They are only concerned with their little interests.
- At a moment like this? Pierre said reproachfully.
“At such a moment,” Prince Andrei repeated, “for them, this is only such a moment in which you can dig under the enemy and get an extra cross or ribbon. For me, this is what tomorrow is: a hundred thousand Russian and a hundred thousand French troops have come together to fight, and the fact is that these two hundred thousand are fighting, and whoever fights more viciously and feels less sorry for himself will win. And if you want, I'll tell you that no matter what happens, no matter what is confused up there, we will win the battle tomorrow. Tomorrow, whatever it is, we will win the battle!
“Here, Your Excellency, the truth, the true truth,” said Timokhin. - Why feel sorry for yourself now! The soldiers in my battalion, believe me, did not begin to drink vodka: not such a day, they say. - Everyone was silent.
The officers got up. Prince Andrei went out with them outside the shed, giving his last orders to the adjutant. When the officers left, Pierre went up to Prince Andrei and just wanted to start a conversation, when the hooves of three horses clattered along the road not far from the barn, and, looking in this direction, Prince Andrei recognized Wolzogen and Clausewitz, accompanied by a Cossack. They drove close, continuing to talk, and Pierre and Andrei involuntarily heard the following phrases:
– Der Krieg muss im Raum verlegt werden. Der Ansicht kann ich nicht genug Preis geben, [The war must be transferred into space. This view I cannot praise enough (German)] - said one.
“O ja,” said another voice, “da der Zweck ist nur den Feind zu schwachen, so kann man gewiss nicht den Verlust der Privatpersonen in Achtung nehmen.” [Oh yes, since the goal is to weaken the enemy, then private casualties cannot be taken into account (German)]
- O ja, [Oh yes (German)] - confirmed the first voice.
- Yes, im Raum verlegen, [transfer to space (German)] - Prince Andrei repeated, angrily snorting his nose, when they drove by. - Im Raum then [In space (German)] I left a father, and a son, and a sister in the Bald Mountains. He doesn't care. That's what I told you - these gentlemen Germans will not win the battle tomorrow, but will only tell how much their strength will be, because in his German head there are only arguments that are not worth a damn, and in his heart there is nothing that alone and you need it for tomorrow - what is in Timokhin. They gave all of Europe to him and came to teach us - glorious teachers! his voice screamed again.
"So you think tomorrow's battle will be won?" Pierre said.
“Yes, yes,” Prince Andrei said absently. “One thing I would do if I had the power,” he began again, “I would not take prisoners. What are prisoners? This is chivalry. The French have ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow, and have insulted and insult me every second. They are my enemies, they are all criminals, according to my concepts. And Timokhin and the whole army think the same way. They must be executed. If they are my enemies, they cannot be friends, no matter how they talk in Tilsit.
“Yes, yes,” Pierre said, looking at Prince Andrei with shining eyes, “I completely, completely agree with you!”
The question that had been troubling Pierre from Mozhaisk Mountain all that day now seemed to him completely clear and completely resolved. He now understood the whole meaning and significance of this war and the forthcoming battle. Everything that he saw that day, all the significant, stern expressions of faces that he caught a glimpse of, lit up for him with a new light. He understood that latent (latente), as they say in physics, warmth of patriotism, which was in all those people whom he saw, and which explained to him why all these people calmly and, as it were, thoughtlessly prepared for death.
“Do not take prisoners,” continued Prince Andrei. “That alone would change the whole war and make it less brutal. And then we played war - that's what's bad, we are magnanimous and the like. This generosity and sensitivity is like the generosity and sensitivity of a lady, with whom she becomes dizzy when she sees a calf being killed; she is so kind that she cannot see the blood, but she eats this calf with sauce with gusto. They talk to us about the rights of war, about chivalry, about parliamentary work, to spare the unfortunate, and so on. All nonsense. In 1805 I saw chivalry, parliamentarianism: they cheated us, we cheated. They rob other people's houses, let out fake banknotes, and worst of all, they kill my children, my father and talk about the rules of war and generosity towards enemies. Do not take prisoners, but kill and go to your death! Who has come to this the way I did, by the same suffering...
Prince Andrei, who thought that it was all the same to him whether Moscow was taken or not taken the way Smolensk was taken, suddenly stopped in his speech from an unexpected convulsion that seized him by the throat. He walked several times in silence, but his body shone feverishly, and his lip trembled when he began to speak again:
- If there was no generosity in the war, then we would go only when it is worth it to go to certain death, as now. Then there would be no war because Pavel Ivanovich offended Mikhail Ivanovich. And if the war is like now, then the war. And then the intensity of the troops would not be the same as now. Then all these Westphalians and Hessians led by Napoleon would not have followed him to Russia, and we would not have gone to fight in Austria and Prussia, without knowing why. War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and one must understand this and not play war. This terrible necessity must be taken strictly and seriously. It's all about this: put aside lies, and war is war, not a toy. Otherwise, war is the favorite pastime of idle and frivolous people ... The military estate is the most honorable. And what is war, what is needed for success in military affairs, what are the morals of a military society? The purpose of the war is murder, the weapons of war are espionage, treason and encouragement, the ruin of the inhabitants, robbing them or stealing for the food of the army; deceit and lies, called stratagems; morals of the military class - lack of freedom, that is, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, drunkenness. And despite that - this is the highest class, revered by all. All kings, except for the Chinese, wear a military uniform, and the one who killed the most people is given a big reward ... They will converge, like tomorrow, to kill each other, they will kill, maim tens of thousands of people, and then they will serve thanksgiving prayers for having beaten there are many people (of which the number is still being added), and they proclaim victory, believing that the more people are beaten, the greater the merit. How God watches and listens to them from there! - Prince Andrei shouted in a thin, squeaky voice. “Ah, my soul, lately it has become hard for me to live. I see that I began to understand too much. And it’s not good for a person to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ... Well, not for long! he added. “However, you are sleeping, and I have a pen, go to Gorki,” Prince Andrei suddenly said.
- Oh no! - Pierre answered, looking at Prince Andrei with frightened sympathetic eyes.
- Go, go: before the battle you need to get enough sleep, - Prince Andrei repeated. He quickly approached Pierre, hugged him and kissed him. "Goodbye, go," he shouted. - See you, no ... - and he hastily turned around and went into the barn.
It was already dark, and Pierre could not make out the expression that was on the face of Prince Andrei, whether it was malicious or gentle.
Pierre stood for some time in silence, considering whether to follow him or go home. "No, he doesn't need to! Pierre decided by himself, “and I know that this is our last meeting.” He sighed heavily and drove back to Gorki.
Prince Andrei, returning to the barn, lay down on the carpet, but could not sleep.
He closed his eyes. Some images were replaced by others. At one he stopped for a long, joyful moment. He vividly recalled one evening in Petersburg. Natasha, with a lively, agitated face, told him how, last summer, while going for mushrooms, she got lost in a large forest. She incoherently described to him both the wilderness of the forest, and her feelings, and conversations with the beekeeper whom she met, and, interrupting every minute in her story, said: “No, I can’t, I don’t tell it like that; no, you don’t understand, ”despite the fact that Prince Andrei reassured her, saying that he understood, and really understood everything she wanted to say. Natasha was dissatisfied with her words - she felt that the passionately poetic feeling that she experienced that day and which she wanted to turn out did not come out. “This old man was such a charm, and it’s so dark in the forest ... and he has such kind people ... no, I don’t know how to tell,” she said, blushing and agitated. Prince Andrei smiled now with the same joyful smile that he smiled then, looking into her eyes. “I understood her,” thought Prince Andrei. “I not only understood, but this spiritual strength, this sincerity, this openness of the soul, this soul that seemed to be bound by the body, this soul I loved in her ... so much, so happily loved ...” And suddenly he remembered about how his love ended. “He didn’t need any of that. He didn't see it or understand it. He saw in her a pretty and fresh girl, with whom he did not deign to associate his fate. And I? And he is still alive and cheerful."
Prince Andrei, as if someone had burned him, jumped up and again began to walk in front of the barn.

On the 25th of August, on the eve of the battle of Borodino, the prefect of the palace of the emperor of the French, m r de Beausset, and colonel Fabvier arrived, the first from Paris, the second from Madrid, to the emperor Napoleon in his camp near Valuev.
Having changed into a court uniform, m r de Beausset ordered the parcel brought by him to the emperor to be carried in front of him and entered the first compartment of Napoleon's tent, where, talking with Napoleon's adjutants surrounding him, he began to uncork the box.
Fabvier, without entering the tent, stopped talking with familiar generals at the entrance to it.
Emperor Napoleon had not yet left his bedroom and was finishing his toilette. He, snorting and groaning, turned now with his thick back, then with his fat chest overgrown with a brush, with which the valet rubbed his body. Another valet, holding a flask with his finger, sprinkled cologne on the well-groomed body of the emperor with an expression that said that he alone could know how much and where to sprinkle cologne. Napoleon's short hair was wet and tangled over his forehead. But his face, although swollen and yellow, expressed physical pleasure: "Allez ferme, allez toujours ..." [Well, even stronger ...] - he said, shrugging and groaning, rubbing the valet. The adjutant, who entered the bedroom in order to report to the emperor on how many prisoners had been taken in yesterday's case, handing over what was needed, stood at the door, waiting for permission to leave. Napoleon, grimacing, looked frowningly at the adjutant.
“Point de prisonniers,” he repeated the words of the adjutant. – Il se font demolir. Tant pis pour l "armee russe," he said. "Allez toujours, allez ferme, [There are no prisoners. They force them to be exterminated. So much the worse for the Russian army. shoulders.
- C "est bien! Faites entrer monsieur de Beausset, ainsi que Fabvier, [Good! Let de Bosset come in, and Fabvier too.] - he said to the adjutant, nodding his head.
- Oui, Sire, [I am listening, sir.] - and the adjutant disappeared through the door of the tent. Two valets quickly dressed His Majesty, and he, in the blue uniform of the Guards, with firm, quick steps, went out into the waiting room.
Bosse at that time was hurrying with his hands, setting the gift he had brought from the empress on two chairs, right in front of the emperor's entrance. But the emperor dressed and went out so unexpectedly quickly that he did not have time to fully prepare the surprise.
Napoleon immediately noticed what they were doing and guessed that they were not yet ready. He didn't want to deprive them of the pleasure of surprise him. He pretended not to see Monsieur Bosset, and called Fabvier to him. Napoleon listened, with a stern frown and in silence, to what Fabvier told him about the courage and devotion of his troops, who fought at Salamanca on the other side of Europe and had only one thought - to be worthy of their emperor, and one fear - not to please him. The result of the battle was sad. Napoleon made ironic remarks during Fabvier's story, as if he did not imagine that things could go differently in his absence.
“I have to fix it in Moscow,” Napoleon said. - A tantot, [Goodbye.] - he added and called de Bosset, who at that time had already managed to prepare a surprise, placing something on the chairs, and covering something with a blanket.
De Bosset bowed low with that courtly French bow that only the old servants of the Bourbons knew how to bow, and approached, handing the envelope.
Napoleon turned to him cheerfully and tugged him by the ear.
- You hurried, very glad. Well, what does Paris say? he said, suddenly changing his previously stern expression to the most affectionate.
- Sire, tout Paris regrette votre absence, [Sir, all Paris regrets your absence.] - as it should, answered de Bosset. But although Napoleon knew that Bosset should say this or the like, although he knew in his clear moments that it was not true, he was pleased to hear this from de Bosset. He again honored him with a touch on the ear.
“Je suis fache, de vous avoir fait faire tant de chemin, [I am very sorry that I made you drive so far.],” he said.
– Sir! Je ne m "attendais pas a moins qu" a vous trouver aux portes de Moscou, [I expected no less than to find you, sovereign, at the gates of Moscow.] - Bosse said.
Napoleon smiled and, absently raising his head, looked to his right. The adjutant came up with a floating step with a golden snuffbox and held it up. Napoleon took her.
- Yes, it happened well for you, - he said, putting an open snuffbox to his nose, - you like to travel, in three days you will see Moscow. You probably did not expect to see the Asian capital. You will make a pleasant trip.
Bosse bowed in gratitude for this attentiveness to his (hitherto unknown to him) propensity to travel.
- BUT! what's this? - said Napoleon, noticing that all the courtiers were looking at something covered with a veil. Bosse, with courtly agility, without showing his back, took a half-turn two steps back and at the same time pulled off the veil and said:
“A gift to Your Majesty from the Empress.
It was a portrait painted by Gerard in bright colors of a boy born from Napoleon and the daughter of the Austrian emperor, whom for some reason everyone called the king of Rome.
A very handsome curly-haired boy, with a look similar to that of Christ in the Sistine Madonna, was depicted playing a bilbock. The orb represented the globe, and the wand in the other hand represented the scepter.
Although it was not entirely clear what exactly the painter wanted to express, imagining the so-called King of Rome piercing the globe with a stick, but this allegory, like everyone who saw the picture in Paris, and Napoleon, obviously, seemed clear and very pleased.
“Roi de Rome, [Roman King.],” he said, pointing gracefully at the portrait. – Admirable! [Wonderful!] - With the Italian ability to change the expression at will, he approached the portrait and pretended to be thoughtful tenderness. He felt that what he would say and do now was history. And it seemed to him that the best thing he could do now was that he, with his greatness, as a result of which his son in bilbock played with the globe, so that he showed, in contrast to this greatness, the simplest paternal tenderness. His eyes dimmed, he moved, looked around at the chair (the chair jumped under him) and sat down on it opposite the portrait. One gesture from him - and everyone tiptoed out, leaving himself and his feeling of a great man.
After sitting for some time and touching, for what he did not know, with his hand until the rough reflection of the portrait, he got up and again called Bosse and the duty officer. He ordered the portrait to be taken out in front of the tent, so as not to deprive the old guard, who stood near his tent, of the happiness of seeing the Roman king, the son and heir of their adored sovereign.
As he expected, while he was breakfasting with Monsieur Bosset, who had been honored with this honor, enthusiastic cries of officers and soldiers of the old guard were heard in front of the tent.
- Vive l "Empereur! Vive le Roi de Rome! Vive l" Empereur! [Long live the Emperor! Long live the king of Rome!] – enthusiastic voices were heard.
After breakfast, Napoleon, in the presence of Bosset, dictated his order to the army.

The impression was that the sun now did not set over the lands of the Habsburgs. And what about the Turks? In Vienna, they seemed to have been completely forgotten. And it was a serious mistake. As a result, on September 27, 1529, the hidden threat became a reality: the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent (1494–1566) laid siege to Vienna

Prior to this, in 1526, Suleiman sent his 100,000th army on a campaign against Hungary. On August 29, at the Battle of Mohacs, the Turks utterly defeated and almost completely destroyed the army of Lajos II, and the king himself, who fled from the battlefield, drowned in a swamp. Hungary was devastated, and the Turks took tens of thousands of its inhabitants into slavery.

After that, the southern part of Hungary fell under the rule of the Turks. However, Ferdinand I of Austria (1503–1564), the brother of King Charles V of Spain (they were the sons of Philip I and Juanna of Aragon), put forward his claims to the Hungarian throne, since his wife Anna was the sister of the deceased childless Lajos II. However, Ferdinand managed to achieve recognition only in the western part of Hungary, and in the north-east of the country he had a competitor - the ruler of Transylvania, Janos Zapolya, whom Suleiman the Magnificent recognized as the king of Hungary and his vassal.

Ferdinand I was also proclaimed king of Hungary and captured the capital of Hungary, Buda.

In 1527-1528, the Turks successively conquered Bosnia, Herzegovina and Slavonia, and then, under the slogan of protecting the rights of Janos Zapolya, the Sultan took Buda on September 8, 1529, driving the Austrians out of there, and in September laid siege to Vienna.

The number of troops of Suleiman the Magnificent was at least 120,000 people. In addition to the elite Janissary regiments, the Ottoman army also included Moldovan and Serbian units. Against them, Vienna had very little to offer in its defense - a small defense army and a city rampart of the 13th century, which, in fact, has never been reconstructed since that time.

The Viennese knew that the Turks would not spare them (they were convinced of this after the Austrian garrison of Buda was completely cut out). Ferdinand I urgently left for Bohemia and asked for help from his brother Charles V, but he was embroiled in a difficult war with France and could not provide serious support to Ferdinand. Nevertheless, Ferdinand still received several Spanish cavalry regiments from his brother.

Marshal Wilhelm von Roggendorff took charge of the city's defenses. He ordered all the city gates to be walled up and the walls to be reinforced, the thickness of which in some places did not exceed two meters. He also ordered earthen bastions to be built, demolishing any houses that interfered with construction.

When the Turkish army approached the walls of Vienna, nature itself seemed to come to the defense of the Austrians. Many rivers overflowed their banks, and the roads were washed out. The heavy siege weapons of the Turks got stuck in the mud and sank in the swamps. In addition, hundreds of camels died, on which the Turks carried ammunition, weapons and ammunition. Diseases were rampant among the troops, and many soldiers were unable to fight.

Nevertheless, the Turks offered to surrender the city without a fight. There was no answer to this proposal, which in itself was already an answer - a negative answer.

The siege began, and the Turkish artillery was never able to do any significant damage to the Austrian earthworks. Attempts to dig underground passages into the city or mine trenches also ended in complete failure. The besieged constantly made sorties and frustrated all the plans of the besiegers.

On October 11, a terrible downpour began. The Turks ran out of fodder for their horses, and the number of deserters grew sick and died from wounds and deprivation. Even the elite Janissaries were in a difficult situation.

On October 12, a council of war was convened, at which it was proposed to make a last attempt at an assault. However, this assault was repulsed, and on the night of October 14, the besieged suddenly heard terrible screams coming from the enemy camp - it was the Turks who massacred everyone
captive Christians before starting the retreat.

Jean de Car writes:

“On October 15, Suleiman's troops lifted the siege. It lasted eighteen days, which is not much, but still never before have warriors dressed in strange armor and light helmets with sultans barely covering their heads, and armed with long curved sabers, come so close to St. Stephen's Cathedral. The Viennese talked about this for a very long time.”

The departure of the Turks was perceived by the besieged as a miracle, and Vienna subsequently received the definition of "the strongest fortress of Christianity" (it was rebuilt as such immediately after the siege by erecting a new, even more powerful belt of fortifications).

In 1532, Suleiman the Magnificent undertook a new campaign, but the conquest of western Hungary took too much time for the Turks. Winter was already close, and it was already useless to try to capture Vienna again. The fact is that Charles V finally came to the rescue of his brother, putting up an 80,000-strong army against the Turks. In addition, the heroic defense of the border fortress of Kösög frustrated the plans of those who intended to lay siege to Vienna again. As a result, the Turks again had to retreat, but at the same time they ravaged Styria.

Nevertheless, the retreat of the troops of Suleiman the Magnificent did not mean their complete defeat. The Ottoman Empire retained control over southern Hungary. In addition, the Turks deliberately devastated the Austrian part of Hungary and large areas of Austria itself in order to weaken the resources of these lands and to make it more difficult for Ferdinand I to repel new attacks. At the same time, the Turks managed to create a buffer puppet Hungarian state, which was headed by the vassal of Suleiman the Magnificent, Janos Zapolya.

Nevertheless, the siege of Vienna, failed by the Turks, marked the end of the rapid expansion of the Ottoman Empire into Central Europe, although after that fierce clashes continued for another century and a half, reaching their climax in 1683, when the famous Battle of Vienna took place.

http://ah.milua.org/wien-part4-turkish-threat

In the summer of 1683, the Crimean Khan Murad Giray received an official invitation to Sultan Mehmed IV at the headquarters near Belgorod. The solemn reception and treats in the Sultan's army were not accidental. On the recommendations of the Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha, the Sultan had the intention of inviting Murad Giray to participate in the war with the Austrians. Already in July 1683, the allied forces under the leadership of Murad Giray moved to the main place of events - Vienna. They were also joined by the Magyar rebels - Kurucs under the leadership of Count Imre Tekeli, an opponent of Austrian domination.
For several years, the Ottoman Empire carefully prepared for this war. Roads and bridges were repaired leading to the Austrian border and to the supply bases of the Turkish troops, to which weapons, military equipment and artillery were brought. After all, it was necessary to conquer the capital of the Habsburgs, a strategically important city that controlled the Danube, connecting the Black Sea with Western Europe.
Oddly enough, the provocateurs of a new war were the Austrians themselves, who invaded the central part of Hungary, which since 1505 was part of the borders of the Ottoman Empire. It should be noted that the Magyar peasantry reacted to the arrival of the Turks as a liberation from the dominance of local feudal lords, who imposed unbearable requisitions on them, moreover, unlike the bloody feuds between Catholics and Protestants in Europe at that time, the Turks did not prohibit any of the religions, although the transition to Islam was strongly encouraged. Moreover, many simple Magyars who converted to Islam managed to climb the career ladder of the military estates of the Ottoman Empire. True, the inhabitants of the northern Hungarian lands offered resistance to the Turks, creating detachments of haiduks. It was on the haiduks that the Austrian government was counting, which was striving to annex the Hungarian lands to its empire. But the main population did not accept the Austrians. Unrest began in the country against the anti-Protestant policy of the Emperor of Austria Leopold I of Habsburg, an ardent supporter of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. As a result, discontent resulted in an open uprising against Austria, and in 1681 the Protestants and other opponents of the Habsburgs, led by the Magyar Count Imre Tekeli, allied with the Turks.
In January 1682, the mobilization of Turkish troops began, and on August 6 of the same year, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Austria. But military operations were conducted rather sluggishly, and after three months the parties curtailed the campaign for 15 months, during which they carefully prepared for war, attracting new allies. The Austrians, fearing the Ottomans, made alliances with other states of Central Europe whenever possible. Leopold I made an alliance with Poland, which he promised to help if the Turks besieged Krakow, and the Poles, in turn, pledged to help Austria if the Ottomans besieged Vienna. On the side of Mehmed IV came the Crimean Khanate and Imre Tekeli, who was declared the Sultan by the King of Hungary and Prince of Transylvania.
And only on March 31, 1683, the Habsburg Imperial Court received a note declaring war. She was sent by Kara Mustafa on behalf of Sultan Mehmed IV. The next day, the Turkish army set out from Edirne on a campaign. In early May, Turkish troops approached Belgrade, and then moved to Vienna. At the same time, 40,000-strong Crimean Tatar cavalry led by Murad Giray set out from the Crimean Khanate to the capital of the Austrian Empire and on July 7 set up camp 40 km east of the Austrian capital.
The Crowns panicked in earnest. The first to abandon the capital to the mercy of fate was Emperor Leopold I himself, followed by all the courtiers and Viennese aristocrats, then rich people left the city. The total number of refugees was 80,000. Only the garrison remained to defend the capital. And on July 14, the main forces of the Turks arrived near Vienna, and on the same day Kara Mustafa sent an ultimatum to the city about the surrender of the city. But Count von Staremberg, commander of the remaining 11,000 soldiers and 5,000 militia and 370 guns, flatly refused to capitulate.
Although the allied forces had excellent artillery of 300 guns, the fortifications of Vienna were very strong, built according to the latest fortification science of the time. Therefore, the Turks resorted to mining the massive city walls.
The allies had two options for taking the city: either rush to attack with all their might (which could well lead to victory, because there were almost 20 times more of them than the defenders of the city), or besiege the city. Murad Giray strongly recommended the first option, but Kara Mustafa gave preference to the second option. He reasoned that an assault on a well-fortified city would cost him enormous casualties, and that a siege was the perfect way to take a city with minimal casualties.
The Turks cut off all the ways of supplying the besieged city with food. The garrison and the inhabitants of Vienna were in a desperate situation. Exhaustion and extreme fatigue became such acute problems that Count von Staremberg ordered the execution of anyone who fell asleep at his post. By the end of August, the forces of the besieged were almost completely exhausted. A minimum of effort and the city would have been taken, but the vizier was waiting for something, remaining deaf to the advice of the Crimean Khan, to start the assault. As the Ottoman historian Funduklulu notes, Murad Giray disagreed with the opinion of the supreme vizier Kara Mustafa and was ready to lead his askers to capture Vienna, but the vizier did not allow him to do this, fearing that the laurels of victory would go to the Crimean Khan, and not to him. But he was in no hurry to take any action. According to the sources of those years, the vizier near Vienna settled down quite well. In his huge tent, there were rooms for meetings and smoking pipes, in the middle of which fountains, bedrooms, and a bath flowed. He naively assumed that Vienna was the last barrier on the way to Central Europe, and very soon all the laurels of victory would go to him.
But something happened that the Crimean Khan feared.
The slowness of the vizier led to the fact that the main forces of Christians approached the city. The first failure occurred 5 km northeast of Vienna at Bisamberg, when Count Charles V of Lorraine defeated Imre Tekeli. And on September 6, 30 km northwest of Vienna, the Polish army joined up with the rest of the troops of the Holy League. The situation was not saved by the fact that King Louis XIV, the opponent of the Habsburgs, took advantage of the situation and attacked southern Germany.
In early September, 5,000 experienced Turkish sappers blew up one after another significant sections of the city walls, the Burg bastion, the Löbel bastion and the Burg ravelin. As a result, gaps 12 meters wide were formed. The Austrians, on the other hand, tried to dig their tunnels to interfere with the Turkish sappers. But on September 8, the Turks nevertheless occupied the Burg ravelin and the Lower Wall. And then the besieged prepared to fight in the city itself.
Unlike the Ottomans, the allied Christian forces acted quickly. Kara Mustafa, who had at his disposal so much time to organize a successful confrontation with the forces of the allies, to raise the morale of his soldiers, failed to properly take advantage of this opportunity. He entrusted the protection of the rear to the Crimean Khan and his cavalry of 30-40,000 horsemen.
Murad Giray feared such an outcome. He did his best, but time was wasted. In addition, the vizier behaved extremely tactlessly, ignoring the advice and actions of the khan, in a fit of anger, humiliated the khan's dignity. And something happened that Kara Mustafa did not expect. Khan refused to attack the Polish troops on their way through the mountains, although his light and mobile cavalry could have prevailed over the heavily armed, hulking Polish horsemen of Jan Sobieski.
Because of all these disagreements, the Polish army managed to approach Vienna. The eight-week siege of the city was in vain. Realizing his mistake, the vizier made an attempt to reconcile with the khan and on September 12, at 4 o'clock in the morning, he ordered the allied troops to start the battle in order to prevent the enemy from properly building their forces.
Kara Mustafa wanted to capture Vienna before the arrival of Jan Sobieski, but it was too late, the Poles approached earlier than the vizier expected. Turkish sappers dug a tunnel for a full-scale undermining of the walls, and while they were filling it up to increase the power of the explosion, the Austrians managed to dig an oncoming tunnel and neutralize the mine in time. And at this time, a fierce battle was going on above. The Polish cavalry dealt a powerful blow to the right flank of the Turks, who made their main bet not on the defeat of the allied armies, but on the urgent capture of the city. This is what ruined them.
After 12 hours of battle, the Ottoman troops were not only physically exhausted, but also discouraged after failing to undermine the walls and break into the city. And the attack of the Polish cavalry forced them to retreat south and east. Less than three hours after the charge of their cavalry, the Poles won a complete victory and saved Vienna.
In order not to appear in the eyes of the Sultan as the culprit of failures near Vienna, Kara Mustafa shifted all the blame to the Crimean Khan and in October 1683 Murad was removed.